He is Worthy to Receive Glory and Honor

Hebrews 1:1-3 ESV

 

“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”

 

This is speaking of Jesus Christ who is not only the only Begotten Son of God but who is God, the second person of our triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ, who is God, left his throne in heaven, came to earth, was born of the Holy Spirit to a human mother and lived in a human body as both fully God and fully man until his death at around the age of 33. But he didn’t stay dead. God the Father resurrected him from the dead.

 

Prior to Jesus Christ coming to the earth the Lord used prophets to speak his words to the people. But once Jesus came, because he is God, he spoke the very words of God to the people. Now this does not negate the gifts of the Spirit of God, and this does not negate the Holy Spirit and how he speaks to our hearts, for after Jesus left the earth, and he returned to heaven, he sent the Holy Spirit to dwell within the lives of his followers.

 

And the Spirit’s assignment is to speak the words of Jesus to us, to remind us of the things that he taught, to comfort, correct, rebuke, and exhort us, to convict of sin, to encourage us, to help us, and to strengthen and to empower us to do the work of the Lord and to live godly and holy lives, and to be the Lord’s servants and witnesses. He is to lead us and to guide us into all truth and in the ways of the Lord and to give us godly counsel.

 

Basically, when Jesus Christ walked the earth he spoke to the people the words of God, because he was/is God. But after he went back to heaven he sent his Holy Spirit to live within us, who is now his voice to us. He speaks God’s words to us because he is God and he is Christ’s representative to us and he is basically Jesus/God in us. So Jesus is still speaking, not just through his written word, but through the Spirit who lives inside us.

 

[Mk 13:11; Lu 2:26; Lu 4:18-19; Lu 10:21; Lu 12:11-12; Jn 14:26; Jn 15:26; Jn 16:13; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:17-18; Acts 11:12; Acts 13:2; Acts 20:23; Rom 8:9,14; 1 Co 2:14-16; 1 Co 6:19-20; 1 Co 12; Rom 12; Eph 4]

 

Now I am not suggesting here that Scripture is still being written and that we can add to the Scriptures. But just as Jesus, when he was on the earth, talked with the people about their personal lives and what they were specifically going through, the Spirit speaks to us about what we are going through and he gives us counsel, direction, discernment, knowledge, understanding, and direction so we know what to do and where to go.

 

Also, the gifts of the Spirit are called that because they are operated in the power of the Holy Spirit and not in our flesh. They are supernatural gifts, not natural talents and abilities. So, if someone is gifted in preaching or teaching the Scriptures, his/her preaching should be led of the Spirit of God and not of that person’s own mind. The messages they give should be Spirit-filled and Spirit-led and Spirit-empowered and applicable to our lives today. But none of us are infallible, and that is why our words should be tested.

 

And this is still Jesus speaking, he is just now speaking through his Spirit who he gave to us to be him within us. For this way Jesus can now speak to people all over the world because he is not limited by physical location like he was on the earth. For now, in the person of the Spirit, he is inside of us who believe in him across the globe. And to believe in him means to die with him to sin and to walk in obedience to his commands. For not everyone who claims faith in Jesus has genuine faith in Jesus, in other words.

 

Hebrews 1:8-9 ESV

 

“But of the Son he says, ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever,

    the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.

You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;

therefore God, your God, has anointed you

    with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.’”

 

The “He” here is God the Father. And the Son is Jesus Christ (see vv. 4-7). And so God the Father is calling his Son “God.” He is saying to Jesus, “Your throne, O God.” For Jesus Christ is God, and he is our creator God. He made us. He created us in the wombs of our mothers. And his throne is forever and ever because he is God who is without beginning or end.

 

The scepter (emblem, insignia, symbol) of God’s (Jesus’) eternal kingdom is that of uprightness, righteousness, purity, and holiness. He loves righteousness and he hates wickedness. And I want us to dwell on that thought a little while, too. For this is critical that we understand this, for it enters into what we end up believing is the true gospel of Christ.

 

For, when Jesus died on that cross for our sins it was to put our sin to death with him in order that sin might be put to death in our lives so that we would no longer live under its control, so that it would no longer have mastery over our lives. Jesus died to free us from the control of sin and from our slavery to sin so we would now be slaves of him and of his righteousness.

 

And he is leading us to this place of faith in him to where we would now die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness, to where we would no longer live for ourselves but for him who gave his life up for us, and to where we would now honor God with our bodies (our lives) because of what he did for us in shedding his blood to buy us back for God (to redeem us).

 

And then please know, too, that if we do not die with Christ to sin, and if we do not live to him and to his righteousness, in the power of God, in obedience to his commands, and if sin is still what we practice, and if righteousness is not what we practice, we don’t know God, he doesn’t know us, and we do not have eternal life in him regardless of what we profess.

 

So, surrender your lives to Jesus Christ today. Submit to his Lordship. Forsake your lives of sin and follow him in obedience. Now honor him with your lives, for he is worthy to receive glory and honor because he is God, and because of what he did for us in dying for our sins so that we can now live in freedom from slavery to sin and walk in his holiness and in righteousness.

 

[Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-32; 1 Pet 2:24; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Tit 2:11-14; Jas 1:22-25; Rom 12:1-2; Eph 2:8-10; Heb 12:1-2; Jn 6:44; 2 Pet 1:1; 1 Co 15:58; Php 2:12-13; Col 1:21-23; 1 Co 10:1-22; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:26-27; Rom 2:6-8; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 5:3-6; Col 3:5-17; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Matt 7:21-23; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

 

Thou Art Worthy

Revelation 4:11

 

Thou art worthy, Thou art worthy,

Thou art worthy, O Lord.

To receive glory, glory and honor,

Glory and honor and power.

For Thou hast created, hast all things created,

Thou hast created all things.

And for Thy pleasure they are created;

Thou art worthy, O Lord.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1GIF-Nphbs

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